Leven and I caught up on her return to NYC after settling in with the love of her life.

Seemingly, these two occurrences have nothing in common. For me, after only a couple minutes of reflection, they were like headlights pointing straight into my soul.

Barbara, the reader, said she has been a fan of MTM for a long time and makes my recipes often (the granola protein bars specifically). I apologized for not blogging as much lately to which she acknowledged my absence. My heart sank at that moment…It’s a funny thing about a blog, sometimes you feel like you’re sharing experiences with everybody and other times you feel like you’re typing a journal for yourself. These days I have to be honest, I don’t feel like I have a lot of exciting things to write about…And maybe that’s the point: why don’t I find my life exciting? Thankfully, I can answer this question: I miss traveling and exploring new places. However, I’m grateful for the beautiful life I do have at home and should find joy and satisfaction in sharing my simplicities.

Leven, has all of a sudden moved back to New York to be with the love of her life, Jim, an actor. In your 20’s, life is about living on a whim and I couldn’t be happier she can do that. When she spoke about Jim, she glowed and giggled but also showed her serious side. When she articulates her concerns, she’s passionate and decisive in a very mature and practical way. That’s how I know she’s truly in love with him. And from what I can tell by his Facebook page, the feeling is mutual. My heart sank for the second time.

I feel like these encounters should light a fire in my heart not extinguish any flame that was there.

Opportunities for “more” exist on every front in my life. There are so many I think I’m confused about what to grab?? I wouldn’t say I feel defeated, I would say I feel like I don’t know exactly what is going to make me “happy.”

So that’s where I am….neither here nor there. Content and confused. Trying to figure it all out…..and when I look back and reflect on my behavior and choices, I see that I’m not saying “yes” or “no.” Instead I’m just working in the moment. For a type A, strong-willed, passionate woman, that just won’t fly.

Leven’s new movie, Chasing Mavericks, comes out this weekend. YAY! It’s based on the true story of Jay Moriarity and his determination to ride the waves. It’s kid friendly and will hopefully inspire them to work hard for their dreams.

If you share your thoughts about the film on twitter, facebook, instagram, or pinterest, make sure to tag it #livelikejay and they’ll feature you on their site www.livelikejay.com.

Above is a pic of Lev at the premiere looking gorgeous in a Timo Weiland. I have to say that’s the most casual female style I’ve seem him use. Most of his pieces are tailored, intricate, and very sophisticated. I always feel so chic wearing his designs.

Lev spent months on the coast of Northern California shooting this movie and learning how to surf. Tough job! She’s totally addicted to the waves now and says it’s the best workout she’s ever done.

The movie is rated PG so it’s suitable for all ages. It comes out in October. For more info, go to LiveLikeJack.com.

I’m working away over here and am looking forward to getting back to you guys next week! I’ll be in NYC this week to hit the refresh button on my brain and stock up on content. Follow me there on tumblr, instagram, facebook, or twitter. On all platforms I’m @MaryRambin.

A much needed holiday delivered on every level with friends in Austin and family in Houston. Hope you enjoyed yours as well!

As you know, I’m a huge fan of Austin, so we spent a few days there knocking around, partying on the lake, exploring new restaurants, seeing some live music, playing golf, etc. Instead of staying at a hotel, we rented a casita from AirBnB. You can see the place here. I’ll be writing more about the experience later. We loved it!

Below are just a few pics of me and friends. Of course there’s commentary too :)

I have to interject here. Franklin BBQ, said to be THE BEST by most food critics including those at Bon Appetit (read their article here) did not meet my expectations. Admittedly, we did get the short end of the stick because we go there so late in the day; they were out of all things pork. The owner himself, Aaron Franklin, prepared his famous Texas Tipsy sandwich himself for us, but the brisket wasn’t as good as that at Salt Lick or Goode Co in my native Texas opinion.

Foreign and Domestic is another critic favorite that didn’t live up to our expectations. The menu sounds interesting, but the food doesn’t deliver for a sit-down meal. If it was served out of a food cart as it had been originally, I would have been impressed. But I’m guessing they weren’t charging $17 a pop for a warm salad back then.

Below is a pic from the back patio of Easy Tiger – a bakery and beer joint downtown that packs in a local crowd regularly. With 70+ beers on tap, solid food, good music under the stars, and a ping pong table all in the open air, what’s not to like!

Per usual though, the breakfast tacos were my fave. We found this little truck outside Once Over Coffee Bar. Their cappuccino blows away Bouldin Creek cafe where there is something fishy about the water and the baristas have a tendency to over-steam the milk.

After all of the eating and drinking, a little exercise was much needed. I decided to go out of my comfort zone and ride a bike like it’s supposed to be ridden on the road. An outdoor ride in the relentless heat was out of the question. Mellow Johnyy’s, Lance Armstrong’s bike shop, has a training facility in the basement where pros teach you how to improve your ride. Totally different than my spinning class and mentally very challenging.

At home it was nice to have Leven back in town for a couple of days. Right now she’s shooting a kid’s movie in New Orleans. Since she’ll be back next week, she left her dog Sookie with me. He’s such a lover. I’ve missed cuddling with him like we used to in LA!

That’s about it. Totally relaxing and fun. Now it’s time to get back to work. I’ll have a video tomorrow for you explaining what’s going on with the blog.

Before she was the “Sexy Siren” starring in Hunger Games as Glimmer, Leven was my cutie pie little sister!

Well, she still is, but she’s so grown up now!

It’s so funny, we she was really little, she was super shy. Then, she hit middle school, and all of a sudden she was the star of the school plays. One demo reel later, she was instantly off to LA for audition season. She landed her second audition ever for All My Children at age 14. It feels like it happened so fast. She’s been working consistently on tv (Grey’s Anatomy, Terminator, Scoundrels, etc) ever since. Quite a career in 7 years. So proud of my Nin!!!

How excited are you to see the book come to life?

If you’ve read the book you can understand why it’s going to be hard for me to watch the Games….

I AM SO SO SO PROUD of my sister Leven for all of her success at such a young age. At 14 she signed a 4 year contract on All My Children, moved on to The Terminator, Grey’s Anatomy, and then a leading role on Scoundrals. I shouldn’t forget One Tree Hill and CSI: Miami. Now, right before her 21st birthday, she’s booked her first major movie – Hunger Games! If you’re a fan of the books, you know she’s perfect for Glimmer. The triology is said to be the next big hit for Hollywood.

Blousy femme top + skinny jeans + leather/barn jacket + boots.

Easy and amazing!

Something Jared didn’t list: the jacket! The jacket is key to the whole outfit, especially with a spring breeze.

After a quick text (helps to have changed the diapers of the celeb) I found out the jacket is by Object Collector’s Item – a too-cool-for-school line of casual wear. Unfortunately I can’t tell you where to buy it. Their site is awesome, but informative not so much.

Look at me going TMZ with the texts and inside scoop! (Sarcasm on overload.)

Hollywood or not, this look is super simple to pull off from H&M, Old Navy, even Marshall’s.